52 Weeks of Happiness: Cooking With Friends.

One thing that really makes me happy is cooking with friends. I have always loved cooking with friends and family. I used to host weekly potlucks at my house... and holiday meals are often cooked at my house because I love throwing a good party. This past weekend I got a chance to break bread with friends three times.

On Friday we went to Bastrop to celebrate the first birthday of little M. We had homemade pizza, swam in their new pool, ate cupcakes, and drank root beer floats. I also learned to play the ukulele. My awesome friends Marcus and Sara lent me one to play around with at home, and let me tell you, all songs are funnier when played on the ukulele.

We left too late and my little one was so exhausted that she had a bit of a fit... but otherwise it was a fun day. I got to cook with my friend Sara and hang out with the little ones while the dads took Thing 1 and Thing 2 out for a treasure hunt. I made the cupcakes and iron chef-ed the frosting... and Sara made the pizzas.





On Saturday we had breakfast with a friend. I made breakfast tacos and we hung out all morning drinking coffee. Due to the late evening the night before the kids were pretty mellow and allowed us to hang out at the table talking. Then later that afternoon we hung out with friends in Martindale on the San Marcos River. I forgot my camera... but it was a nice afternoon hanging out in the shallows, cooking sausage on the grill, and watching the kids swim.

Finally on Sunday we had a friend over to our house for dinner. My husband really wanted to have shellfish. We had watched an episode of a cooking show the night before and they had made a lovely saffron, shellfish and pasta dish. Due to the time of year all we could find at the seafood counter was shrimp and scallops... but here is what I did.

I cooked red onion, scallions, and sun dried tomatoes in extra virgin olive oil until the onions were soft.
Then I added the shrimp, scallop, artichoke hearts and some fresh herbs from the garden. I cooked it until the seafood was cooked through and then simply tossed it with the pasta. I added some fresh Parmesan cheese and there you have it.

I hope you find time this summer to cook with friends.

Cheers,
Jenn

52 weeks of happiness... Pizza with my daughter.

Not only did I get to have a fabulous pampering experience with my little L on Thursday... but I had a wonderful time after school making pizza with my big girl. She loves pizza and she asked me to make her night to cook pizza night.

She started out by preparing all the ingredients. She cut up olives and helped me get the other ingredients that we'd be needing out on the table so that we were ready to construct the pizzas.

While she cut olives and gathered things I started on the crust. To make things simple I bought a crust mix.... but I think next time I'm going to try and make the crust from scratch. My daughter was sad that I didn't know how to toss the dough like you always see in the movies. Maybe next time I'll try that.

Next we spread on the sauce. My daughter went with a classic tomato sauce... and I decided to get fancy and mix pesto and tomato sauce on mine.



Next we spread on the cheese. We used a mix of grated mozzarella and Parmesan. By that time the oven was and hot and we needed to get those pizza's in soon so that we could start cleaning up our mess and setting the table for dinner.

As for toppings we decided to go vegetarian this time. My daughters LOVE black olives so they wanted to keep their pizza simple. Simplicity isn't part of my vocabulary, however, so for my pizza I used olives, garlic, onions, and fresh basil from my garden.

The pizza's came out lovely and they made the whole family smile... except for my little one who was in bed with a fever instead of enjoying dinner with the family. Thankfully we had leftovers and she had some for lunch the next day.

This will be the tenth post in my 52 weeks of happines project. Please stop by Leigh vs. Laundry and join the fun!

Another reason to be happy this morning...

I have the pleasure of being Avant Garde Parenting's parent of the week. Thanks!

Happiness Project: Sunday! Sundae!

The Ice Cream Sundae seems innocent enough: Ice cream with a bit of syrup poured over it, a generous dollop of whipped cream, possibly some nuts and then a cherry perched on top. The story behind it's origin, however, is a story that is hotly debated. There are two communities in the US that are at the front of this war. They are Two Rivers, Wisconsin and Ithaca, New York. The Two Rivers Wisconsin story goes like this: Due to blue laws sodas were outlawed on Sunday. To get around this, a local soda fountain started serving a "dry" soda that they called a Sunday. It was ice cream topped with chocolate sauce... a handful of berries was added to make the whole thing seem a bit more wholesome. The other community that claims to have stared the Sundae fad is Ithaca, New York. Their story is not about a legal smoke screen designed to deceive the religious right but rather it is a morally salubrious tale about a Unitarian minister inventing this after church treat with a local soda jerk.

If you are a foodlore nut like me you might want to read more about the history of the sundae at The Official Website of the Ice Cream Sundae. If you just like to eat and want to get scooping you can simply follow the lead of Thing 1 and Thing 2 here and make a Sunday Sundae. All you'll need is some ice cream, whipped cream, chocolate sauce (or sauce of choice...I recommend against sweet and sour... but to each his own), and some cherries. You might also want some chopped nuts, sprinkles or bits of candy.

Sunday, May 1, was National Chocolate Parfait Day. And there was no better way to celebrate than with this layered frozen treat of perfection.

For those of you who think that they have figured it all out... The parfait DID NOT come before the Sundae... so we can't give the French credit for any more culinary masterpieces. The parfait traces it's origin back to 1894... the ice cream sundae on the other hand was invented somewhere around 1892. So maybe the folks from Ithaca and Two Rivers can just join hands in solidarity against the French. It has brought folks in this country together before...Let's give it try.

You can still win this cute toy by stopping by Monday's post and making a comment. The contest will be open until Friday and I will announce the winner on Monday at next weeks Makeover Monday.

Spaghetti and Meatballs

I haven't posted in a full week. We got a new computer last week and I have been spending most of my computer time transferring data and getting it ready to use. I'm very happy to finally have a machine that doesn't blue screen daily. Here are some photos and a recipe from last week's menu... and now that I'm back in business I should be posting regularly again.

Every week my daughter asks for it, so I thought it was about time that she learn how to make it. My girls LOVE spaghetti and meatballs and while I have posted about it in the past I looked back and realized that I've never given my recipe. So here it goes.

First you mix together the ingredients:

1 lb of ground beef (I use lean sirloin 90/10 or the natural hormone free beef. To me good beef is the most important part of making great meatballs)

1/2 C. breadcrumbs

1/2 C. Parmesan cheese

2 eggs

optional add-ins: minced onion, minced garlic, minced herbs such as parsley, oregano or basil. You can add any or all of these in, but be careful not to add too much. You don't want your meatballs to fall apart.

Next form the meat into balls. Add them to your skillet and brown them on all sides. I like to cook them until they are almost cooked through.

Add your favorite pasta sauce (homemade or from a jar) and simmer until the flavors meld and the meatballs are cooked all the way through. This step can also be done in the crock pot or oven if you'd like.

Cook up your favorite pasta and there you have it... Spaghetti and meatballs! My daughter swears that they are the best meatballs in the world.

While the meatballs were simmering and the pasta was cooking my daughters made up this lovely fruit tray. We also served a nice tossed salad with our meal. I try to include fresh fruits and vegetables every night.

They also set the table and filled it with all the necessary condiments and dressings. My girls did such a nice job last week with their meal preparation that I have them down for making tonight's dinner. Tonight we are going to make tostadas.

Kids in the Kitchen--Carrot Salad

Asian Carrot Salad

2 cups matchstick carrots

1/2 of a bell pepper (1/2 C. diced)

2 t. sesame oil

2 t. vegetable oil

juice of one lemon

1 T. soy sauce

1/2-1 t. minced fresh ginger

1 t. sugar

1 clove garlic, minced

1 T. toasted sesame seeds (I toasted them in a skillet on top of the stove)

First I got the kids busy putting things in the bowl, grating ginger and crushing garlic while I toasted the sesame seeds and cut up the vegetables. We put the carrots in a medium bowl. We would have added the diced bell pepper at this point but we were waiting for the Mr. to get back from the store.

My helpers then mixed the remaining ingredients in a bowl (except the sesame seeds). I then pulsed it in the blender to make it nice and smooth. Add the seeds and it's a wonderful sesame dressing that will go well with just about any salad.

There was, of course, tasting going on at this point. I've just convinced my oldest that she likes carrots by explaining to her that they improve night vision. Apparently this little bit of folk wisdom is merely lore, but hey, if my daughter believing that carrots will help her gain super-human eyesight gets her to eat her vegetables I'm all for spreading wives tales. Sadly the wives tale does not extend to sesame oil and both children turned their noses up to the dressing.

Despite their strong feelings about the flavor of the sesame oil, they still poured the dressing over the carrots and stirred it in. We covered it and refrigerated it for a couple of hours and then got busy cleaning up the kitchen and setting the table for dinner. My little one sorted the silverware while my big girl washed up the dishes we made while preparing the salad. I've decided that I'm going to get them to help out more often. It isn't the easiest way to get dinner on the table... but it beats fussing at them for being underfoot, it is a wonderful way to teach them new things, and it encourages them to try foods that they might not otherwise be willing to try. They may not always like it... but hey... at least they try.

The Humble Hamburger

The secret to a good hamburger, in my opinion, is simplicity. When I make a turkey burger I like to spice things up a bit, but when I'm in the mood for beef I don't like to mess around too much. I like to add flavor with condiments and toppings rather than adding things to the beef directly. Some people swear by adding minced onions or bread crumbs to their beef. To each his or her own. For me the perfect burger is simple. . 1 lb ground beef (I like to use natural horomone free beef 85/15)

Salt and pepper

Buns

Whatever toppings you like (lettuce, tomatoes, pickles...this is where you can get creative use blue cheese or avocado... whatever you like)

Condiments (mustard, mayo, ketchup)

Shape meat into 3 adult size patties or 2 adult and 2 child size burgers. Sprinkle with salt and pepper (add a little worcestshire if you just can't let it be) and then grill the burgers. Serve with salad and sweet potato fries. For more about sweet potato fries just go here...

How do you like your hamburger? Leave a comment and tell me.

Chicken Curry

Chicken Curry

I love chicken curry... and this is one of the better recipes I've tried. The basic recipe is from a book called 1000 Indian recipes, but I changed it somewhat to reflect what I had available in my kitchen. I also reduced the amount of chicken and added vegetables to make it healthier. You can make this recipe vegetarian by simply omiting the chicken and adding another cup or two of vegetables. Something like eggplant might be add in in this case.

• 3 cloves garlic


• 6 large slices of ginger


• 1 large onion


• 2 tomatoes


• handful of cilantro


• 2 serano or jalapeno peppers


• vegetable oil or ghee


• 2 bay leaves


• 1/4 t. cardamom powder


• 1/2 t. cinnamon


• 1 1/2 T. coriander


• 1 t. ground cumin


• 1 1/2 t. garam masala or curry powder


• 1/2 t. turmeric


• salt and pepper to taste


• 1/2 C. plain yogurt


• 3 large chicken breasts


• 1 C. water


• 2-3 cups chopped vegetables (potato, carrots, peas)

In a blender of processor blend onions, garlic, and ginger until finely minced. Then process together the tomatoes, cilanto, and chiles. Heat the oil in a large pan and then cook the onion mixture along with the bay leaf, cinnamon, and cardamom (if you have whole spices you can use them instead of the powdered spices... I just didn't have any fresh available). Cook until the onion is well browned.

While we waited my daughter and I whipped up a cucumber salad.

Then add the tomato and chile mixture. Cook, stirring occasionally until most of the juices evaporate... about 10 minutes.

Add the rest of the spices. Stir in the yogurt slowly to prevent curdling. Then add the chicken breasts and cook for about 5 minutes to brown them somewhat.

Add the water and the mixed vegetables and then cover. Cook for about 30 minutes until the chicken is cooked and the vegetales are tender. Remove the chicken breasts and chop into bite size bits and return to the pan. Garnish with cilantro and serve.

I served mine with rice, cucumber salad and melon. MMmmmmmm.

Cheers,

Jenn